WVCSD Artist of the Week: Lylah Colon

The most recent student highlighted as part of the school district’s Artist of the Week series is Warwick Valley Middle School student Lylah Colon, who has blown away her general music teacher Shane Peters with her talent and enthusiastic commitment to the piano, an instrument she just began learning this year.

In just two semesters, she has become what Peters calls “an unstoppable force” on the instrument. Colon, who said she’s always been the creative type, is also an avid writer and loves putting her ideas into words and music. She has big plans for creating her own original work!

As part of Peters’ seventh-grade general music class, students learn the basics of piano for the first time. Colon dove right in and quickly realized she had an innate talent for, and love of, the ivories. And right away, she began to surpass any expectations.

”After a couple weeks, Lylah got a keyboard of her own at home and immediately got to work,” said Peters. “It’s a testament to Lylah’s work ethic and passion for things that she loves.”

Once she’d started working with Peters, Colon was hooked. She studied and practiced, and it wasn’t long before she impressed not only Peters, but her family too.

”That’s when I told my dad that I wanted to be in piano lessons,” Colon said, adding that they enrolled her for private lessons at the Rock Underground Music School of Greenwood Lake. “I have a guitar at home, too, so I plan to learn guitar.

Peters was impressed by Colon’s ability to read and perform the sheet music he provided to her in class but was really impressed by the creative initiative she showed by beginning to compose her own music so quickly.

”And it is amazing,” Peters said. “It always brings such a smile to my face to see what Lylah has been working on outside of the classroom. Her passion for music-making fills me with so much joy.”

Colon’s formal study on piano has been focused mainly on classical music. She names Beethoven and Mozart as influences and has already made strides in performing some advanced pieces.

”I’m already working on a song called ‘Gymnopédie #1’ by Erik Satie,” Colon said. “I like classical music, but I also plan to learn other kinds of music, too. Like, every day when I’m going to school or when I go get home, I listen to a song called ‘Bittersweet Symphony.’”

Colon’s plan is to continue making her own songs, and wants to play all the instruments, piano and guitar and drums. When she’s not practicing piano, Colon likes to work on her writing. She is currently developing a story called “Penny.” She is writing and illustrating the story about her titular hero and her twin brother Peter, and plans to make it into a book.

She shared some plot points with us as a preview, but no spoilers.

”So, Penny Simmons is a 13-year-old girl who has a twin brother, Peter. One day, while they’re playing in their tree house, a mirror turns into a portal, and they go inside of it,” Colon explained. “Inside the portal, they stumble across a cabin in a forest. Penny goes inside, and then Peter goes into another room, and that’s when he disappears all of a sudden!”

The plot of “Penny” is still in development, but Colon has plans for her follow-up book, which will include a whole new set of characters and settings. She’s also got her sights set on eighth grade, when she plans to join the WVMS Guitar Club. Peters knows for sure that whatever Colon wants to do creatively, she can accomplish it.

”To see a student go from never having played a piano before to flourishing in a few short months is an educational feat that is quite impressive,” Peters said.